Improvement in button-hole clamps and guides



atta sata atmt tithe LOYAL nnnrNaOn NORWALK, OHrO,Ass`1eNon ro N. s. creanme AND M. P. SMITH, ror SAME PLAOE.

Letters Patent No. 113,093, dated March 28, 1871.

lMPRovEMENT- `|N BUTTON-lime cLAMPs AND sumas'.

:ha sername :ofensa :o in fue Lester; Paten: am; mung pm of the same.

I, LOYAL Ranma, of Norwalk, county of Huron and State of .Ohio, have invented certain Devices in Button-Hole Clamps and Guides, of which the'following is a'specilcation.

Nature and bjectofmy Intention. Many persons Aobject to machine-madeand prefer hand-made button-holes. In making the latter, espethrough the material.

The plates which clamp the material are secured to tenons on the arms, which are hinged to each other near their centers. The opposite ends of the arms are curved, and inthe control of a lever hung to one of the saine, and lengaging the other by two pins, the inner one of which engages shallow ser-rations or teeth on the inside of one of the curved arms'in such a way as to readily fixV and retain both ,the arms and the curved clamp-plates in position.

Description of the Accompanying'Drawtng.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the clamp.

Figure 2 is a top view of the same when in position and clamping a button-hole.

General Description.

The same letters indicate the same parts.

A designates the arms of the clamp.

B, the button-hole slit. C, the curved clamp-plates, provided centrally with a slot, loosely engaging the tenon N on the arms.

H, the connecting hinge-joint. L, the lever which controls the position of the arms A.

P, P', and P", the three pins inserted in said lever.

T, the teeth intended to engage the pin P'. The curved clamp-plates C engage the cloth at the edge of the slit made for the button-hole and on each side of the material, being pressed and held down by the thickness of the 'material grasped by the platesC begins to create resistance, will rest and be held-between that tooth and the next one thereto, and in return will continue the pressure of thel clamps C upon the cloth.

The curved clampplates C are attached to the arms A by means of a tenon projection from each toward the other on the same, which enters an oblong slit or slot near the center of the plates.

This tenou is headedor riveted sulhciently to retain the plates in place, but not so firmly as to prevent endwise and sidewise tilting motion, thereby allowing the plates to accommodate themselves to any inequality of thickness which may'exist-in the material compressed betweenthe same.

The gripe of these plates G upon the material is further assisted by their lcurved shape, which presents two well-defined edges in each plate opposed'to the, l

same in the other. .A

These two edges are. far enough apart-one at the "edge-oi' the button-hole and the other at some little distance, say one-halt' to three-quarters of au inch therefrom-to insure the hold of the clamps upon the fabrics. 'l

The edges of the clam p-plates adjoining the buttonbole not only vhold the several thicknesses of cloth.' firmly, but they alsoy form guides for the needle, and thus facilitate the work of making the button-hole.

These edges may further be serrated, if desired, ac cording to the `,size of thev stitch to be made, and thereby give precision and regularity, aswell as ease y and speed, in making button-holes.

Wjhile this device and arrangement are intended specially for -nse as a button-hole clamp and guide, they may be found useful iu other cases, as where a line of stitching is to he made, in which case the clamp may be considerably elongated. p Claims.l

What-l claim as my invention is.-

1. The curved-clampand guide-plates C, provided with holding-edges, and made self-adjusting to eachl other Vand .to the material between, as described. I

2. The hingedarms A, in combination with the self-adjusting clamp-plates O, i

3. The arms A, one of them being serrated atene end, provided with the clamp-guides C, when attached by the hinge H, and operated by thevlever L and pins P P P, or their equivalent-s. l y

vLOYAL REDING.

Witnesses:

lsRAEL PETERS, l). H. MANvrLnn. 

